TRUST, AND DO NOT BE AFRAID!
SCRIPTURE READING:
Isaiah 12:2
Surely God is my Salvation; I will trust and not be afraid.The LORD, the LORD Himself, is my Strength and my Defence; He has become my Salvation.’
INTRODUCTION: FEAR IS PART OF LIFE
– Life has many uncertainties as well as many unexpected and unforeseen aspects, and this can often leave us with a sense of foreboding and fear.
– Real fear has the power to protect us from danger and safeguard our lives.
– However, needless fear can often stem from our imagination and rob us of our strength and at times even paralyse us and hinder our progress.
– The question is how can we recognise the difference and live a life that is free from needless and unwarranted fears of other people or of things that perhaps we have no control over?
– I have discovered that in people’s lives there seems to be a progression in this area.
– It starts with a fleeting fear or concern about something we should attend to or be aware of. If we act at this point we can often deal with the issue and it can be resolved, or kept in its proper perspective. If we leave it unattended, the fear can become worry. At this stage the issue begins to plague our minds and causes mental distress. If this is left unattended, it can move into the dimension of anxiety. One of the most undermining aspects of anxiety is the self-doubt about our ability to cope with what we are facing.
– The question is how? How can we get victory in this area before it escalates and starts to debilitate us?
– I believe that there are things that we can give attention to and in so doing can learn to trust and not be afraid.
– In this way we can live in victory in this area.
1. MAKE SURE YOUR BUSINESS IS RIGHT WITH GOD
– Perhaps this is the most important foundation and building block on the journey away from fear and worry.
– When we decide to live according to God’s ordinances and choose to do what His Word tells us to do, internal peace becomes the starting block of the way we live our lives.
– However, if we choose to do our own thing and live exactly how we want to live, then the foundation is unstable and the stage is set for uncertainty and this leads to fear.
– True freedom from fear starts when we live a life based on following God’s instructions.
– Let me give you an example: if God requires that we be honest and upright in all our dealings, and if we do this, fear will not be an issue. If, however, we choose to be dishonest and deal corruptly, then we will have to watch our backs and live with the fear that goes with that choice.
– When we know that there is no issues between us and the Lord, we can live with childlike faith and with the expectation that His provision and protection will accompany us.
– Then there is no need for fear as we are in right-standing with the ultimate authority and fear must leave us.
– 1 John 4:18 ‘There is no fear in love [dread does not exist]. But perfect (complete, full-grown) love drives out fear, because fear involves [the expectation of divine] punishment, so the one who is afraid [of God’s judgment] is not perfected in love [has not grown into a sufficient understanding of God’s love].’ (Amplified Bible)
2. RELY ON HIS FAITHFULNESS
– As we trust God we need to constantly remind ourselves of this great aspect of His character – His faithfulness.
– Faithfulness, by explanation, is the concept of God remaining unfailingly loyal to someone (you), and then putting that loyalty into consistent practice regardless of circumstances.
– 1 Corinthians 1:9 ‘God is faithful!’
– The will of God will never take you, where the grace (faithfulness) of God cannot keep you.
– Sometimes when we hit troubled times we resign ourselves to the idea that God has abandoned or forgotten us. Nothing could be further from the truth. Troubled times are times when we can expect His faithfulness to still be there and to carry us.
– Don’t expect the worst, expect His faithfulness and it will surprise you what the Lord will do.
– When we remind ourselves of His great power, fear has only got one option and that is to lift off us and leave us.
– If we remind ourselves of His faithfulness and rely on that faithfulness, we will find a conviction in our hearts and fear will have to give way.
3. EXPECT THE MIGHTY WORKING POWER OF GOD TO BE ACTIVE IN YOUR LIFE AND SITUATION
– Sometimes we limit God and don’t really believe that His mighty working power and faithfulness can see us through.
– This needs to change and we should begin to expect that out of His faithfulness there will be divine intervention.
– Psalm 91:11 ‘For He shall give His angels charge over you, to keep you in all your ways.’
– Can you imagine that the Lord will instruct His angels to be there with you and to guarantee His faithfulness to you.
– We need to begin to believe this and by faith to expect it in our lives.
– Psalm 34:7 ‘The angel of the LORD encamps around those who fear Him, and He delivers them.’
– Chris Tomlin sang this song: GOD OF ANGEL ARMIES. The chorus says: ‘I know Who goes before me, I know Who stands behind, the God of angel armies is always by my side.’ Passion – Whom Shall I Fear [God of Angel Armies] [feat. Chris Tomlin] – YouTube
– We need to choose to live with this reality burning in our own hearts.
4. SEE THINGS IN THE PROPER PERSPECTIVE
– There was a time in the history of the nation of Israel that a giant called Goliath would come out and shout across the valley and threaten them. When the nation heard these rantings they were filled with fear.
1 Samuel 17:11 ‘When Saul and the Israelites heard this, they were terrified and deeply shaken.’
One day a young man called David arrived and he saw things from a different perspective. When David heard the shouting and the threats, He said: ‘Who is this Philistine that he should defy the armies of the living God?’
– Sometimes we give things undue magnitude and authority in our lives when in fact they are nothing compared to God’s greatness and faithfulness.
– We need to begin to see things in the proper perspective.
– The challenges and enemies that you are facing are less formidable than they seem.
– They may stand around you shouting and screaming their challenges and threats, but if we will move forward in His power and strength. He will intervene and deliver us.
– Do the possible and leave the impossible to God.
– David did the possible, he took his slingshot and his stones and he faced the giant on the strength of God’s faithfulness and the enemy disappeared in front of his eyes.
– Don’t leave things unattended and hope they will go away.
– Daily the nation of Israel would listen to the shouting and do nothing, perhaps hoping that it would just go away. It took one young man, David, to look the giant in the eyes and recognise him as a ‘tiny giant’, and the victory was won.
5. A PROMISE FOR YOU AS YOU TRUST IN THE LORD
– I believe that the Lord wants to come and remind you that He is with you. He wants you to remember His faithfulness and He wants you to remind yourself that He is in charge of all of heaven’s armies and that He will fight for you.
– Don’t allow the challenges to become a giant in your life, see things in proper perspective and begin to trust and not be afraid.
– Here is a promise for you as you move forward, away from fear and doubt, into a place of confidence in God.
– Nothing is too difficult for Him.
– Leviticus 26:6 ‘I will grant peace in the land, and you will lie down and no one will make you afraid.‘
By Andrew W Roebert
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